Despite the growing popularity of in-line skating, and advances in in-line skate technology, rapid, controlled stopping has continued to present a problem for skaters of all skill levels. Various stopping devices have been employed on in-line skates, e.g., a braking system located on the toe of the skate (Landers, U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,438), a replaceable brake pad located at the rear of the skate (Roberts, U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,572), and a spring-loaded friction device that engages a skate wheel (Allison, U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,244).
O'Donnell et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,401,037) discloses a composite wheel for an in-line skate. The O'Donnell wheel includes a center section made of a hard material having a low coefficient of friction, e.g., high density polyethylene. The center section of the wheel is flanked by side sections made of a relatively soft material having a high coefficient of friction, e.g., cast polyurethane. To stop or reduce speed, a skater using the O'Donnell wheel turns the skates away from the direction of travel, and leans away from the direction of travel, as if on ice skates. This causes a portion of the soft material to engage the ground and generate friction.